Does Destroying Wildlife Reduce Human-Wildlife Conflict? Evidence from Black Bears in British Columbia

Abstract

The destruction of wildlife is an often-used intervention in response to human-wildlife conflict. However, it is uncertain whether destroying wildlife is an effective intervention to reduce future conflict. We assemble a novel dataset of all reported human-black bear conflicts in British Columbia, Canada, constituting more than 66,000 events from 2013 until 2021 and control for settlement density, seasonal effects, weather, as well as salmon abundance. Using spatial time series panel regressions, difference in differences, and synthetic controls we find little evidence that the destruction of black bears reduces future human-bear conflicts. These results cast doubt around the practice of destroying wildlife to reduce human-wildlife conflict.